Heading into a critical Week 18 NFC West rivalry game against the Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir had no issue bringing up how much he wanted to shadow the NFL's leading wide receiver, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, in a tilt that'd determine both the division winner and the No. 1 seed in the playoffs.
Lenoir hasn't shied away from talking trash to JSN in recent seasons, and one can argue Smith-Njigba is the newfound target once the Hawks moved on from wide receiver D.K. Metcalf last offseason.
After Week 18, though, Lenoir might want to rethink his trash-talk.
Smith-Njigba and the Hawks ultimately got the last laugh, defeating the Niners 13-3 en route to the top seed and a Wild Card bye, whereas San Francisco has to travel as the No. 6 seed and has a much more arduous road through the postseason.
During the game, Seattle's top receiver posted a game-high 84 yards on six receptions, and he also forced Lenoir into a defensive pass-interference call, too.
Jaxson Smith-Njigba forces Deommodore Lenoir to eat his words
JSN wasn't oblivious to the numerous shots from Lenoir across his bow as of late, and the receiver didn't gloss over it either when pressed about the interactions following the Seahawks victory.
If anything, Smith-Njigba's comments were pretty "roasting" in their own right:
"I definitely heard [what Lenoir said]" Smith-Njigba told reporters after the game. "It’s hard to respond back to all my fans. But I knew that we were going to see him today and take care of business."
It's not hard to read between the lines and understand JSN is referring to Lenoir as "a fan."
For now, it's certainly a last laugh. The Hawks won the game by playing better than Lenoir and the 49ers, and now the former has a much easier path through the playoffs.
The only way Lenoir can hope to enact some further vengeance is for both NFC West rivals to meet up again this postseason, which means the Niners would have to at least get beyond a Wild Card weekend date with the Philadelphia Eagles.